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Kean Mental Health Summit Works to Make Connections

Nov 07, 2022
Chamique Holdsclaw, a Black female with long, black dreads standing behind a black podium that says Kean University on it in white. There is a black microphone in front of her as well. Chamique is wearing a cream-colored buttoned-up shirt, and is looking into the crowd.

WNBA All Star Chamique Holdsclaw spoke at a Mental Health Summit at Kean University recently, telling community leaders, care providers and Kean students,“we’re here to normalize the conversation about mental health.”

A retired professional basketball player whose career accomplishments also include three NCAA national college championships, an Olympic gold medal and induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Holdsclaw is now a mental health advocate and national speaker who works especially with youth.

Holdsclaw said she is “still in recovery” for bipolar disorder and now values the chance to help others. 

“Basketball was this tool to get me the platform to encourage youth,” she said. “I am coaching. I’m coaching in a different way.”

The event, organized by the Kean University Office of Government Affairs, the Human Rights Institute and the Lesniak Institute for American Leadership, was held Friday, November 4 on Kean’s Union campus as part of the University’s ongoing wellness strategy. 

Launched by Kean President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D., Kean’s wellness initiative works to support and increase physical, mental, financial and environmental wellness in the University community.

“Mental health is a crucial issue in higher education, especially as we all collectively move forward after the pandemic,” Repollet said. “As part of Kean’s commitment to overall wellness, we are proud to build connections and open conversations about mental health through events such as the Mental Health Summit. A caring Cougar Nation is our best asset.”

In her address, Holdsclaw shared stories from her stellar athletic career. She began playing basketball as a coping mechanism during a troubled childhood in Queens, N.Y., became a national college star with the University of Tennessee Lady Vols and, in 1999, was the No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick, chosen by the Washington Mystics.

“It was my dream,” she said. “But there’s the other side of success…I thought I had to put on a front – couldn’t let people know there was a chink in my armor.”

The event included remarks by Kellie LeDet, Kean chief government affairs officer and special assistant to the president; Craig Coughlin Jr., director of Government Affairs and Community Partnerships; Debbie Ann Anderson, Union County director of human services; and Lauretta Farrell, D.Litt., director of the Human Rights Institute at Kean.

Attendees at the Summit also included faith leaders, educators and social workers. The group further discussed mental health issues in small-group roundtable sessions.

“The first step is really identifying what college students’ mental health needs are and how we can come together to address these needs,” Farrell said.

Nancy B. Graham, LCSW, of the Renfrew Center in Paramus, works with clients with eating disorders. She said she found the summit valuable.

“When we talk about mental health and different topics, there’s definitely an understanding that they’re connected,” she said.

Several of those who shared Holdsclaw’s table during the breakout sessions were from Kean Athletics, including Athletic Director Kelly Williams and Brian Doherty, Kean’s women’s head soccer coach.

“I learned a lot from Chamique’s talk,” Doherty said. “I also learned how involved Kean is in the community, and how we are involved in the issue of mental health.”

PHOTOS: Mental Health Summit

Chamique Holdsclaw, a Black female with long, black dreads, wearing a cream-colored button-up collared shirt, hugging a Kean Faculty member, a white female with short, brownish-red hair, wearing a navy blue long-sleeve jacket and black pants. This female’s back is towards the camera, but Chamique is facing towards the camera. They are both hugging behind a table with a blue tablecloth and a black chair behind it.
A Black female with brown hair that is pulled back, wearing glasses and a long, green jacket, is standing and holding a microphone with her right hand. Only her right profile is being shown, and she is talking into the microphone. She stands with the crowd, who are all seated, and there are glass windows in the background.
Chamique Holdsclaw, a Black female with long, black dreads, wearing a cream-colored button-up collared shirt, is gesturing to three other Kean University faculty members. They are all sitting in a half-circle at a glass table, sitting in black chairs. On the left, a white male with black glasses, light brown hair, and a light beard and mustache wearing a long-sleeve maroon shirt is looking towards Chamique, across from him sits a Black male with glasses, wearing a navy blue vest and cream colored long-sleev
Pictured are 3 Kean faculty members sitting at a round table. The only face we can see is a Black male with black hair and a black beard and mustache, wearing a white-knit long-sleeve sweater, gesturing to the two other members at the table. On the left of the photo, a white female with short, brown wavy hair wearing a black and blue blouse is looking towards the Black male. To the right of the photo, sits a Black male with little gray hair, wearing a royal blue and navy blue striped blazer and black glasse
A diverse group of Kean faculty, sitting around a round table, drinking soda and water. They are listening and gesturing towards one another, wearing business casual clothes. There are big, open glass windows behind them.
A wide-shot of a Black male, standing in front of a diverse crowd of Kean faculty, wearing glasses, and a navy blue suit with a white, button-up shirt underneath. He is holding a microphone, and speaking to the crowd. There are tall glass windows behind him that have a see-through gray shade pulled down them to shield the sun.

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